File cutting machine



.lum s, 194s. m. A. Hess 2,442,852

FILE CUTTING MACHINE Filed Jan. 8, 1947 3 sheets-sheet 1 :ze 2 @s lI ll l am A. H555 j A BYM/w,

June 8, 1948.

Filed Jan. 8, 1947 M. A. HESS FILE CUTTING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 :t INVENTOR. N MARVIN A- H555 S-MM `lune 8, 1948.

M. A. HEss FILE CUTTING MCHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 8, 1947 INVENTOR. MARVIN /-\A HESS Patented June 8, 1948 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE FILE CUTTlNG MACHINE Marvin A. Hess, East Lansdowne, Pa.

Application January 8, 1947, Serial No. 720,861

Claims.

l My invention relates to a file-cutting machine of the type in which a blank is subjected to the action of a reciprocating chisel, while it is continually moving, whereby properly spaced grooves of the desired depth are produced.

One object of the invention is to produce an improved machine of this type.

In file-cutting machines, ift is necessary that the action of the chisel on the blank be arrested immediately When a predetermined point on the blank has been reached, so as to predetermine the length `of the eiTectiVe area of the le. Also. because the blanks taper from one end thereof to the other, it is necessary to provide means for varying the impact of the chisel according to the changing width of the moving strip so as to produce grooves of uniform depth throughout the effective portion of the finished le. In my prior Patent No. 2,415,559, entitled File-cutting machine, I have disclosed and claimed improved means for accomplishing these objects.

In order to make the :le-cutting operation substantially iwholly automatic, it is also desirable to provide means for controlling the starting point of the cutting operation so that all the operator would have to do would be to depress a foot pedal or the like, to permit removal of the finished blank and to put another blank to be cut in a predetermined position on the machine. The starting control means is preferably adjustable so as to coact with the means which arrest the cutting of the blank at .the desired point, thereby accurately predetermining the length of the cut or eiective portion of the finished le. It is, therefore, a further object of this invention to produce improved means for accomplishing the above-stated result by providing an attachment which may be readily applied to file-cutting machines of the type disclosed in my application aforesaid and which will automatically control or predetermine the starting point of the cutting operation.

'I'hese and other objects are attained by my invention as set forth in the following specification and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a rile-cutting machine embodying my invention, showing the chisel in its lower or cutting position, certain parts being omitted and certain .parts broken oif.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view, partly in section and partly in elevation, taken on line 3--3 of Fig. 2, but showing the chisel raised to an upper, o1.'

2 in effective position by the starting control attachment of my invention.

Fig. 4 is a right-hand elevational View of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section on line 5 5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section on line 6 6 of Fig. 1. v

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view showing the starting control attachment in more detail.

In the drawings, there is shown a file-cutting machine including a pedestal iii which supports a bedplate Il and a housing I2 on which a reciprocating chisel I3 is mounted. The chisel I3 is carried by a head l2 which is provided with a rear slot l5 adapted to engage one end of a pivoted lever i6, the other end of which is intermittently engaged by the spaced teeth of a rotating disc Il. The disc Il is mounted on a shaft i8 which is driven by any source of power, such as a belt i9 on a shift pulley 2G. As the disc I 'l is rotated in clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 3, it rocks the lever I6 on its pivot, thus raising and lowering the chisel head I4 to produce a hammering 'actionY of the chisel i3 on a blank 2| to be cut. The blank 2l is supported on a slide 22 which has a rounded bottom bearing surface and is self-aligning in a correspondingly rounded groove formed in the bedplate Il.

The slide 22 is provided with an extension 23 which passes between and is engaged by a pair of pinch rolls 22, which rotate in such a manner as to draw the extension 23 and the slide 22 to the right as viewed in Fig. 1. The pinch rolls 2l! are driven in any suitable manner, as by means of gears 25, at least one of which is actuated by a source of power in any well-known manner which need not be detailed. Y

The other end of the slide 22 is connected to one end of a screw 26, the other end of which is pivoted to the upper end of a lever 2l. The screw 26 is adjusted by a nut 28 so as to` regulate the distance to which the slide 22 can be moved to the left as viewed in Fig. 1. The other end of the lever 2'1 is secured to a shaft which also carries a gear 29 so that, as the arm 2l moves in one direction or the other, the gear 29 rotates accordingly. The gearu29 meshes with a gear 30 on a shaft 3i, which also carries a cam 32 for progressively increasing the stroke` and hence the impact ofthe chisel. This will be best understood by inspection of Figs. 2 and 3, from which it will be seen that the'lever I6 is pivoted to the upper end of a plate 35, the lower end of which is provided with a seat 36 for engaging a hump 31 at one end of a lever 38 which is fulcrumed at 39. The other end of the lever 38 is engaged by a lug 42 which threadedly engages an adjustment screw 4|. The screw 4| carries a roller 42 which rides on the cam 32. As the roller 42 rides on the high portions of the cam 32, the screw 3| and the lug 4@ are raised, thus tilting the lever 38 in counterclockwise direction and correspondingly raising the plate 35 which rides on the hump 3S, This raises the pivot point of the lever IB and-hence, the head I4 which ycarries the chisel I3. Raising the chisel increases the length of its stroke and, hence, its eiTective impact on the blank. The cam 32 is so related to the slide 22 that, when the slide is in-its extreme left-hand position, the roller 42 rides on the lowest portion of the cam and the chiselfmoves through its shortest stroke. .Theblank is so positioned that its narrow end is now'underv the chisel. As the slide 22 moves to the right as viewed in Fig, 1 and the Wider portions of the blank come under the chisel, thecam. 32 is rctated and the roller 42 rides `on progressively higher portions of the cam and thus progressively increases the impact of the chisel as the length of the grooves to be cut is increased to insure that the. longer grooves will be of.the. same depth as the shorter ones.

The pinch rolls 24. are clamped .frictionally onto the extension. 23. of -the blank. supporting slide 22 by means of .a spring 45 .engaging -a bolt .46....In order. to beable. to return-the slide 22 toits eXtremeleft-hand position, it is necessary to raise `the arml 4'! .which carriesthe upper roller 24 and which ispivoted to the-bedplate. at 48. The manner in which. this is donewill be-later.on

explained.

The stroke of the. chisel canalso be. varied manually. andwithout .reference tothe cam 32 by turning the screw 4|v by means of a suitable handwheel 5I) to raise or lower the lug 4Q. The blank 2| is clamped in position on the slide. 22 by means of a yielding finger 5I. The head I4 reciprocates-betweena plate 52 .andthe adjacent face of. the housing. I2, and is .guided by means of ascrew 53.engaging.a slot 54 in the lower. portion of. theplate 52.

The cam- 32 isv suflicient to adjust the stroke of the lchisel -to produce. uniform grooves in blanks of a given-length an-d width. However, in. order-to increase the range of usefulness of the-machine, I have solocated the cam .andthe parts operated thereby as to be able to remove the camand replace it with 'a smaller or. largerone, orfwith one of a different shape without. dis* mantling any other part.. Aswill be seen from Fig. 6,.the cam .can be removed by merely disengaging the retaining nuty which holds it in position, and the roller 42 is then adjusted .by turningthe screw 4I. so as to ride on a new vlarger or smaller cam.

In order to causetheaction of ythe chisel on the blank toceaSe whenthedesired portion of the. blank has been cut, I provide aplate. 56 which is-secured by .a screw 51 engaging one of aseries of adjustment holes 58 (Fig. 6) in a bar '.'6 secured to.. and movable..with,.the.slide 22. The plate 55 is4 provided with a'wedge-shaped portion 59 which is adapted to engage a .corresponding nose portion. (i0 of anarm 6I.

The ar-m 6| is pivoted at 62 to'a lever 63 which will be later referred to. The .arm 6| is provided with anat portion which is adapted to` berengaged.- by a collar.84 onthechisel.v When the slide 22 andthe blank 2| have; moved tothe right, as viewed in.- Fig.v 1, to apoint predetercause it is out of reach of the blank. By proper adjustment of the plate 56, the length of the portion of the blank to be cut is determined, automatically and with accuracy.

When it is desired to release the pinch rolls 24 so as to permit retraction of the slide 22 to its startingposition, or to the left as viewed in Fig. 1,

a' foot pedal (not shown) is depressed so as to raise the arm 65. rI'his may be done in any conventional manner and is, therefore, not shown. The'arm 65 being pivoted at 61 to the left-hand end4 68 of the lever 63, causes the lever 63 to rotate about its pivot 62a and causes the righthand end of the lever to move downwardly to engageand depress an arcuate lever I0 pivoted at 'II and provided with apin or projection l2. The pin 12 engages a rod 'I3 carried by the adjacent end of the arm 41 to raise the latter against the action of the spring 45. This moves the upper roll 24 away from the lower roll, whereupon the slide 22 is pulled to the left to the extent permitted by adjustment of the nut 28 on the screw 25. The slide 22 is provided with a handle 'I4 (Figs. l and 6) carried by ahub 'l5 at the left-hand end of the slide.

Raising of the left-hand end 68 of the lever 63 also causes the lever 6| to engage and raise the collar 64 and, hence, the chisel I3. Therefore, as long as the foot pedal is depressed to elevate the upper .pinch roll 24, the chisel will be kept in a raised position, out of reach of the blank to be cut, eventhroughthe slide 22 has been retracted to the left, orstarting position, and even though the wedge-shaped portion 59 is out of engagement with the pendant nose portion S0 of the lever 6|. It will thus be seen that the wedgeshaped portion 59 serves to elevate the chisel at theA end of the cutting operation and that elevation oi' .the end E8 of the lever serves to disengage. the upper pinch roll from the extension 23 ofthe blank-carrying slide, and also serves to hold the chisel in an upper non-cutting position while the finished blank is removed and a new blank is positioned on the side. It will be noted that, when the foot pedal is depressed, the iinger 5| is also raised out of contact with the blank.

The position of the pendant portion 60 of the lever 6| is controlled by an adjustable set screw 65 which engages the left-hand end of the lever 6|. In other words, if the screw S5 is turned in a direction to depress the left-hand end of the lever 6|; the nose portion E0 thereof will be raised and vice versa.

Operation The blank to be cut is placed on the side 22 with its narrower end approximately as shown in Fig. l, so that the point at which the cutting is to begin will be immediately below the chisel, The chisel is then set in motion and thefoot lever is released, thus raising the right-hand end of the lever 63 to. relieve the pressure on the arcuate plate '10. This permits the spring 45 to bring the upper rotating roller 24 into engagement with the extension 23 of the slide so that the rollers 24 begin moving the slide and the blank, to the right, past the reciprocating chisel. It will be understood that, at the beginning of the cutting operation, and before the machine is set in motion, the roller 42 will ride on the lowest portion of the cam 32, as shown in Fig. 2. Also, at the beginning of the operation, the plate 56 is so adjusted relative to the slide and the blank that the nose portion 59 will engage the pendant portion 60 of the plate and raise it into engagement with the collar 64, so as to raise the chisel out of reach of the blank, as soon as the left-hand limit of the area to be cut` on the blank has been reached. When the cutting operation is completed, the foot pedal (not shown) is depressed, thus causing the right-hand end of the lever 6 3 to be depressed into engagement with the arcuate plate 10 to disengage the upper roller 24 from the extension 23 of the slide. The slide is then retracted by means of the handle M, the cut blank is removed, and a new blank to be cut is placed on the slide to repeat the operation. It will be noted that retraction of the slide moves the lever 21 to the left, as viewed in Fig. l, and thus resets the cam 32 relative to the roller'dZ. The movement of the slide 22 to the left is limited hay the position of the nut 28 which, in turn, is determined by the length of the blank to be cut.

As the wider portions of the blank pass under the chisel, the roller G2 rides on progressively higher portions of the cam 32 and, through the lug 49 and the projection 37 on the lever 38, raises the plate 35 which carries the actuating lever i6 to raise the chisel and increase its impact on the blank, thereby insuring the production of grooves of uniform depth throughout the length of the blank.

With the adjustment set forth, the machine is capable of cutting blanks, the widths of which vary within a given range. In order to adapt the machine to the cutting of blanks ef widths which vary within a much wider range, I have so arranged the cam 32 that it can be exchanged for a cam of a diiferent size and of a dierent shape without dismantling any other parts of the machine. This could not be done if the cani were geared or otherwise operatively connected to the chisel head directly, or if it were mounted on a shaft which carried other parts where centerline positions of various parts or center-to-center distances of various parts would be altered by a change in the size or shape of the cam.

Likewise, the adjustment plate 55 is so placed that it may be moved longitudinally of the slide, according to the length of the blade, without in any way disturbing the position or relation of any of the other parts.

It is to be noted that, as long as the machine is in operation, the chisel reciprocates continuously. In other words, the chisel is not stopped at the completion of a blank and restarted at the beginning of the cutting of the next blank. This is due to the fact that the chisel, even in its lowermost position, reciprocates out of reach of the slide itself, and becomes eifective only when a blank is placed on the slide and passed beneath the chisel. Since, at the completion of the cutting operation, the chisel is raised automatically by the preadjusted nose portion 5B of the plate 56, and since the chisel is held in its elevated position as long as the foot pedal is depressed, and the end 58 of the lever 63 is raised, all the operator has to do is depress the foot lever to disengage the rollers 24 from the slide extension 23, pull the slide back to its starting position, remove the blank that has been cut, place a new blank to be cut, and release the foot pedal to return the chisel to its lower, cutting position and to cause the slide to be drawn past the lower edge of the chisel.

In order to control the point at which the cutting of the blank is to begin, I have provided means for engaging the chisel and retaining it out of contact with the blank, for a predetermined, but adjustable, period of time after the lever 65 has been released, and after the nose piece 59 has been disengaged from the collar 64 and has moved to the position shown in Fig. 1.

As best shown in Figs. 1, 6 and 7, the means for controlling the starting of the cutting operation primarily includes a bar 88, the free end of which is adapted to engage the under side of the collar 64 to retain the chisel in its elevated position. The bar 8i) is secured by a bolt 8| to a block 82 which is pivoted at 83 to a block 84. The block S is secured to the slide extension 23 by a bolt 85. The other end of the bar S0 is adjustably secured by nuts 81 to the upper end of a bolt 88 which is threaded into a support block 9i) which is secured to the slide extension 23 by a bolt 9|. The bolts Bl and 88 pass through spaced slots 92 formed in the bar so that, by loosening the bolt El and the nut 8l, the bar may be moved towards or away from the chisel, The collar 64 is made of a relatively large diameter, or it is so made as to extend,-beyond the chisel, a distance sufficient to permit a relatively wide range of adjustment. In other words, the collar is so constructed that, when the bar 89 is in its extreme left-hand position, as viewed in Fig. 1, the collar will overhang a substantial portion of the adjacent free end of the bar 80, as shown at 94.

In normal operation of the machine as above described, the slide 22 and the blank to be cut move slowly from left to right as viewed in Fig. 1. When the cutting operation is completed, and the slide is retracted to the left, in Fig. 1, the free or left-hand end of the bar will, while the foot pedal is still depressed, and while the chisel is still raised, engage the under side of the collar 6d and will retain the chisel in its uppermost position.

After a new blank has been placed in position on the slide, the foot pedal is released thus allowing the nger 5l to clamp the'blank down and disengaging the end 6b of the lever from the collar 61?-, With the bar 8D, the chisel will, immediately upon release of the foot pedal, move to its lower position, and will start cutting. But, because the bar 8f3 engages the collar 6d, the chisel remains in its upper, ineffective position until the slide 22 has moved to the right, a distance equal to the length of the portion of the bar which is engaged by the collar. In other words, the chisel cannot move down and start cutting until the bar 8! is disengaged from the collar E4.

By loosening the bolt 8| and the nuts 81 at the upper end of the bolt 88 and moving the bar 80 towards or away from the axis of the chisel, the length of time that the chisel is retained in its upper, ineffective position after the foot pedal has been released and the slide 22 has begun to move to the right can be regulated.

For example, if it is desired to cut a six inch le surface on an eight-inch blank, the bar is so adjusted that the point at which it will be disengaged from the collar 64 to permit the chisel to move to its cutting position will be six inches away from the point at which the nose piece 59 operates to raise the chisel to terminate the cutting operation. Therefore, when it is desired to cut a batch of eight-inch blanks, it is merely necessary to adjust the nose piece 59 and the bar 80 accordingly and to provide a stop or mark for indicating the position of either end of the blank. Once this is done, all that the operator will have left to do is merely to depress the foot lever, after the nosel piece 59 has raised the chisel, remove the nished le, put a new blank on the slide with one end of the blank abutting against or registering with a stop or mark, and then release the foot pedal. In other words, the bar 80 will control the start ofthe cutting operation and the nose piece 59 will control the end of the cutting operation, thus making the cutting of les of any given size automatic except for the removal of a finished blank and the positioning on the slide of a new blank to be cut.

By pivoting the bar 80 and 82 and by making its right-hand end vertically adjustable, the position of the left-hand end of the lever, vertically considered, can be varied. For example, if the right end of the arm 80 is lowered, the end thereof which engages the collar 64 can be raised and vice versa. This is useful in positioning the free end of the bar a height only slightly 'less than that to which the collar 64 is raised when the foot lever is fully depressed so that, when the bar 80 moves to the left, its end will contact, or will almost be in contact with the under side of the collar 64. If desired, the meeting of the bar 80 with the collar 64 may be cushioned to reduce the impact on both. This may be done by yieldably mounting the collar or by tensing the secured end of the bar by means of a spring associated with the bolt 88.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that I have provided a simple, durable and inexpensive attachment which is easily mounted and easily adjusted and which automatically controls the start of the cutting of the blank. It will also be noted that, because the attachment is merely bolted to the blank-carrying slide, the invention n:

can be incorporated in newly manufactured machines or can be applied to machines now in use.

Having described my invention, what I claim 1. The combination with a ii-le cutting machine having a vertically reciprocable chisel, a slide adapted to support a blank to be cut, means for moving said slide horizontally past said chisel in one direction to subject said blank to the cutting action of said chisel, actuating means operable to raise said chisel into an upper position out of cutting range with reference to Said blank,

said chisel being returnable to its cutting position upon inactivation of said actuating means, and means for moving said slide, and a fresh blank placed thereon, in the opposite direction while said chisel is in its upper position, of control means for delaying return of said chisel to its eiective cutting position until said slide has moved a predetermined distance in the rstmentioned direction.

2. The structure recited in claim 1 in which said control means is in the nature of an arm carried by and movable with said slide, said arm being spaced upwardly from said slide and so 1 arranged that, when said slide is moved in said opposite direction, said member engages said chisel and retains it in its upper position until said slide shall have moved a predetermined distance in the first-mentioned direction.

3. The structure -recited in claim 1 in which said chisel is provided with a. horizontally-extending element, and said control means is in the nature of a'horizontally-extending arm spaced upwardly from and movable with said slide, said arm being so related to said chisel that, when said slide moves in said opposite direction, an end portion of said arm, along a predetermined length thereof, engages a corresponding portion of said element to retain said chisel in its upper position until said slide has moved in said direction a distance equal to the length of the portion of the arm which came into engagement with said element.

4. The structure defined in claim 3 in which said arm is adjustable longitudinally of said slide to vary the length of the end portion thereof which engages said element to vary the distance which said slide must move before said chisel returns to its cutting position.

5. The structure recited in claim 3 in which the end portion of said arm which engages said element is vertically adjustable according to the height of said element above said slide when said chisel is in its upper position.

MARVIN A. HESS.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Number Hess Feb. 11, 1947 

